How a One-Sentence Idea Turned Into a Studio Sale: Anatomy of a Deal (Part 1)

# The setup: a meet-and-greet in 1987

Scott Myers and his writing partner are in Hollywood in 1987 meeting with Rodney Dangerfield's "people." At the time Dangerfield had become a bona fide movie star — his role in the 1986 hit Back to School grossed $91M, and his profile made studios and producers hungry for projects suited to him.

# The creative spark

During the meeting, Myers focuses on Dangerfield's signature line: "I don't get no respect." He asks a simple creative question: what job would reverse that gag and give him maximum respect? The answer: President of the United States. That one-line pivot becomes the high-concept hook: Dangerfield as Mr. President.

# From idea to pitch

The writers immediately take the idea to their agents. The pitch is distilled into a punchy title and logline — "Mr. President" — that hinges on a single ironic reversal. They prepare a one-page treatment and enter the pitching process.

# How perception helped the sale

Two non-creative elements moved the room. First, Dangerfield's recent box-office success made him a hot name with studio influence. Second, the fact the writers had just met with Dangerfield's representatives made it easy for agents and producers to imply actor interest when presenting the pitch to studios.

Myers notes how Hollywood often treats proximity and implication as de facto attachment. In this case, the notion that Rodney was interested created momentum for the pitch even though the actor wasn't formally attached.

# The outcome

# Practical takeaways for writers

• Keep the concept tight and easy to say out loud. A single ironic twist became the whole sellable idea.
• Meet the people who can amplify your idea. Access — even informal — can be turned into perceived attachments.
• Use recent commercial context. An actor's current box-office profile can change how a studio evaluates a pitch.

# What this piece does

This installment of The Business of Screenwriting describes the origin of a sold pitch. It focuses on how creative simplification, timing, and agenting combined to move a quirky, high-concept idea into a paid studio sale. The follow-up parts in the series cover the subsequent sale details and career consequences.